While my latest earthenware pieces were being glaze-fired I cleaned all the red clay from my wheel and tools and wedged up a bag of stoneware clay. I must prepare some pots for the soda firing next week.
The small kiln load fired nicely and I have these new pots to show you.
As usual, my pieces are almost all bird-related! I have a new sgraffito tool so find myself drawing as well as painting these days. After a friend requested crow mugs I practiced a crow image on a wee triangular plate. I painted the red clay plate with pale green slip, then applied black slip before carving the design in the firm, leather-hard surface.
I painted this 2-cup size mug with my coloured slips, in the way I usually work. The crow sits on a branch, with leaves sponged on the grey background.
I coated the second red clay mug with black slip and then carved the crow design with my new sgraffito tool. It is much easier than carving lino for a print, as I used to do years ago.
Happily, the crow mug collector really liked both mugs and took them and the wee plate home yesterday.
For the third mug I experimented with carving geometric shapes into cream-coloured slip and added other colours afterwards.
This Loon Tea-pot was a special order from an English couple. They have fond memories of living in Ontario and hearing the sound of the loon. This fellow was made from four wheel-thrown sections with the handle added and is painted with black and white slips. He’s roughly 7″ tall and 8 1/2″ long.
Other birds in this firing were two Puffin jugbirds, a Pileated Woodpecker jugbird and another bird’s egg box.
This little tumbler is the result of throwing some Port Moody clay and lining it with clear glaze. It was fired to cone 04. Yet another pencil holder!
Bird-day? for my friends who read my blog to keep in touch rather than learn about pottery, I’m happy to tell you that our twin grandsons Bennett and Lucas celebrated their 7th birthday this weekend. Here you can see older brother Caleb reading their greetings to them, and the twins enjoying treats. It was a big bear stuffy, real gecko, basketball and mainly Lego sort of party.
Those crow mugs are stellar!
Thank you Claudia. Fun to make, but time-consuming!
I really like the mugs and the tiny plates. A REAL gecko? Those are very understanding parents!
Yes, Jen now takes care of live crickets too! But Bennett is very keen on animals and has saved up for a gecko for a while. His gift was the cage etc.